PRIVATE HOUSE |
Thursday 30 Sep 2010
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To transform the decrepit building into a practical, modern family home (the private clients are parents to three young children) Sybarite opened up all available spaces, inserting 22 new support steels in the process. With multiple conservation area restrictions, renovation work had to ensure that the property's Victorian heritage was respected, hence the original staircase has been retained and runs like a spine throughout the now fully modernised house.
On the lower ground floor, an open plan kitchen, dining room and play room form the basis of the space, whilst a round hatchway concealed behind the kitchen leads down to a sizable wine cellar. Bright yellow liquid laminate cabinets adorn the large kitchen, whilst the dining room is dominated by a gravity defying ‘shuttlecock' dining table.
Sitting room and library have been divided on the raised ground floor by custom-designed stainless steel sliding doors. The lighting in the sitting room is provided by a bespoke double-skinned fibreglass globe whose circular perforations of varying diameter cast light onto outer shell. The result is a warm glow which gives the room an atmosphere distinct from the adjacent library where lighting is more directional. Throughout this level, teak flooring was chosen for its warm colour which matures beautifully and complements the original staircase.
All four bedrooms are spread across the upper two floors - the former master bedroom split into a shared bedroom for two of the children, family bathroom, guest room and playroom with flop-down bed form the first floor whilst the entire second floor is dedicated to a newly extended loft space which has become the new master bedroom with ensuite. In an effort to maintain as much storage and floor-space as possible, the super-king sized bed has been slotted into the sloping wall of the roof. Concealing additional storage cupboards, wall panels in sleek Italian lacquer are set out in geometric composition broken only by the rough finish of a shuttered concrete fireplace.